Bolton Says Ottawa and Washington Failed to Probe Russia Havana Syndrome Allegations
Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton says Canada and the United States failed to adequately investigate whether Russia used directed energy against Canadian and U.S. diplomats in Cuba.
Bolton made the allegation in an interview with The Globe and Mail published Oct. 2, reported from Ottawa. He said he suspected Russian involvement when first informed about mysterious illnesses affecting U.S. diplomats shortly after taking up duties during Donald Trump's first term. Bolton was ousted from the administration in 2019 after foreign-policy clashes. The Globe and Mail
He told the newspaper it was well known that Russians had done various things with directed energy before. Havana, in his account, may have been the first place Russia tried directed energy because it was a place other than Moscow where Russians could operate with complete freedom of action. Russia did it in other places too, he said, indicating experimentation.
Bolton also said Canadians in Havana could have been involved in espionage, which made them particularly interesting to Russians and Cubans. He noted Canada is part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance with the U.S., Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Global Affairs Canada denied that Canadian diplomats were involved in espionage in Cuba.
A former senior Global Affairs official involved with security and intelligence operations told the newspaper the department always suspected Russia was behind the attacks but could not say so publicly because it had no proof.
Illnesses, postings and the official record
U.S. and Canadian diplomats serving in Cuba from 2016-2018 and their families reported sudden, unexplained brain injuries with symptoms of nosebleeds, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion and memory loss. The illnesses known as Havana Syndrome occurred in the evenings after diplomats heard a noise while at their homes in Havana.
Canadian diplomats and families posted to Havana first reported unexplained health symptoms in spring 2017. Between 2016 and 2018, dozens of U.S. embassy staff, largely in Cuba, reported symptoms including hearing loss, vertigo and headaches. About 1,000 U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers have been hit by the illness known as Havana Syndrome. Reuters
Ottawa's formal findings remain narrow. Canada's Interdepartmental Task Force report on Unexplained Health Incidents in Havana, Cuba determined there is no evidence to attribute the health symptoms experienced by Canada-based staff. The report was published Feb. 24, 2026. Global Affairs Canada
That position has been consistent in its public form. In December 2019, the government stated it continues to investigate the potential causes of unusual health symptoms reported by some diplomatic staff. Global Affairs now says affected diplomats should deal with health ailments through the Federal Workers' Compensation Service.
Canadian government research-security guidance takes a different tone in a different context. It states scientific literature shows a directed energy weapon is suspected to be the cause of Havana syndrome reported by U.S. diplomatic personnel in Cuba. ISED
Lawsuit under seal
A group of Canadian government employees and their dependants commenced litigation against the Crown with respect to Havana Syndrome. The case is a multimillion-dollar lawsuit brought by Canadian diplomats over Havana illnesses.
Canada's Justice Department triggered a rare national-security provision last year to keep secret new details of the lawsuit. The lawsuit by Canadian diplomats is now under court seal and subject to a publication ban.
The diplomats' lawsuit was amended in summer 2024 after a joint investigation by CBS's 60 Minutes and Germany's Der Spiegel reported the illnesses could have been tied to Russian military intelligence using sonic weaponry. An April 1, 2024 report said a Russian military intelligence unit may be linked to Havana Syndrome affecting U.S. diplomats and spies. The Kremlin dismissed a report that Russian military intelligence may be behind the ailment. Reuters
The Globe and Mail published a related article Sept. 26 titled "Canadians were spying for U.S. in Cuba at time of alleged sonic attacks: source," reporting a Canadian diplomat was sharing intelligence with American spies in Havana.
U.S. assessments have pointed in different directions. The CIA found most Havana Syndrome cases were unlikely to have been caused by a foreign power. Most cases can be explained by environmental causes, undiagnosed medical conditions or stress. Reuters
The broader context here is familiar to anyone who handles Crown liability and intelligence files. Ottawa is defending an employer-duty case while controlling classified material, and the two obligations pull in opposite directions. A no-attribution task-force finding helps the Crown on causation. A sealed file with a national-security claim protects sources and methods. Together they narrow what Parliament, the press and the plaintiffs can test in public.
In my view, Bolton's intervention does not resolve that tension but it sharpens the political question. He is a former principal, not a current officeholder, and his account is allegation rather than documented finding. For ministers and senior officials, the issue is less whether his directed-energy theory is correct than whether the initial joint investigative effort was sufficient and whether the compensation and care regime is adequate if causation remains officially unattributed. Those are decisions for elected government and, where the lawsuit is concerned, for the court under its sealing and publication-ban orders.
